Air deflectors or diffusers and throw control devices therefor



AIR DEFLECTORS OR DIFFUSERS AND THROW CONTROL DEVICES THEREFOR Filed Sept. 22, 1959 July 31, 1962 H. E. STRAUB ETAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS MQJM 1 July 31, 1962 H. E. STRAUB ETAL AIR DEFLECTORS OR DIFFUSERS AND THROW CONTROL DEVICES THEREFOR Filed Sept. 22, 1959 3 SheetsSheet 2 WEE mz H fi II III P INVENTORS (5. Jizaufi aymw Z a} "W July 31, 1962 H. E. STRAUB ETAL 3,046,866

AIR DEFLECTORS OR DIFFUSERS AND THROW CONTROL DEVICES THEREFOR Filed Sept. 22, 1959 [Lwo VANES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 (N0 VANES N0 vANEs N0 VANE5 IN VEN TOR.

W aw;

3,046,866 Am DEFLECTORS R DIFFUSERS AND TI RQW CONTROL DEVICES THEREFOR Harold E. Stranb, Cedar Falls, and Eugene F. Averill,

Waterloo, Iowa, assignors to Titus Manufacturing Corporation, Waterloo, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Filed Sept. 22, 1959, Ser. No. 841,592 17 Claims. (Cl. 98-40) This invention, in general, relates to air deflectors or diffusers. More, particularly, the invention concerns improvements in the control or regulation of the throw, which is the length of the primary air stream(s) discharged laterally by the diffuser or air deflector, in one or more directions and to throw control devices. for providing said regulation or control.

The air deflectors or air diffusers to which the instant invention relates are deflectors or diffusers, herein-after called diffusers or air diffusers for convenience of description, having essentially straight vanes. These air diflusers in plan view have at least one side and normally not more than four sides from which the main air stream, supplied to the difluser by a connecting duct or the like, is discharged substantially laterally by deflector vanes into 1-4 primary air streams-depending on the design of the diffuser. We do not intend to exclude from the scope of our invention herein disclosed :air diflusers having more than four straight sides and more than four primary discharge air streams, but diffusers having five, six or even more sides and a corresponding number of primary air streams are unusual designs in present practice and design. Accordingly, the following description is directed primarily to diffusers providing 1-4 primary air streams.

The primary function of air diffusers is the interception of air discharged from an outlet such as a wall or ceiling duct, the axis of said duct being substantially 90 relative to the wall or ceiling, and the deflection of the air discharged from said outlet outwardly or laterally. Most commonly, the main stream(s) of the laterally discharged air flows close to the wall or ceiling for a substantial distance, after which it mixes with the room air. Taking cool air discharged from a ceiling diffuser, the cool air, though heavier than the warmer room air, flows outwardly from the diffuser adjacent to the ceiling until its velocity is reduced by turbulence, friction, obstructions, or the like to a velocity low enough that the cool air stream(s) begin to fall from the Zone adjacent the ceiling and mix with room air. As the main air strea-m(s) flow outwardly from the diffuser adjacent the ceiling or wall, there is some turbulence at the zone between the main air stream(s) and the adjacent room airand consequently, some mixing of cool air and room air beginning at the time the cool air is discharged from the difluser. The main portion of air stream(s), however, flow outwardly from the diflnser adjacent the ceiling until the velocity diminishes sufficiently to allow the heavier cool air to fall from the ceiling and commingle with the warm air.

The measurement of the throw of the main air -stream(s) is a determination dependent upon the preselection of a flow velocity value which is used to define the air flow encompassed by each main air stream. Any portion of the air stream(s) at which measured flow velocity is at or above the preselected flow velocity value is with n the area encompassed by the main air stream(s). The preselected value may be any value such as 50, 100, 150, or 200 feet per minute, as well as any other value preselected for particular requirements of a given air distribution system. The main point is that some value is preselected for a common reference point to determine the effect on control or diminishing of the throw(s) in a given air atent nasa diffuser by the employment of the throw control devices of the instant disclosure.

In general, the primary objective of our invention is the control of the throw of diffusers having substantially straight-sided deflector vanes whereby the air stream(s) discharged thereby are modified, for example, by decreasing the length of throw of the air stream(s), deflection of the air stream(s) from obstructions such as columns or the like, and/ or discharging the air from straightsided diffusers in flow patterns closely similar to the flow patterns of diffusers having ring or circular vanesthe latter patterns being ones of substantially uniform flow in all directions outwardly from the diffuser.

Other objectives of our invention are: the provision of throw control devices which can be simply installed at the diffuser installation to give various modifications of the normal flow pattern of a diffuser in accordance with particular requirements; the provision of throw control devices on diffusers with straight-sided vanes which decrease the throw(s) and increase the spread or width of the discharged air stream(s) modified by our throw control devices; the provision of throw control devices of simple construction and low cost; and those objectives and advantages of our invention which shall be hereinafter described or made apparent to those skilled in the art.

Briefly, the throw control devices of our invention are pairs, usually a series of pairs, of angularly disposed vanes which can be press fitted or otherwise attached on the rear side of a difluser having substantially straightsided deflector vanes. These vane pairs are disposed at an acute angle, e.g; 3075, relative to the axis of the diffuser. The vanes of the control devices are positioned v between adjacent vanes of the diffuser to deflect laterally the air which is deflected also by the vanes of the difluser.

The throw control devices may be installed on diffusers having substantially straight-sided vanes, usually a series of parallel vanm, directed to deflect the air in only one direction, or in two directions, or in three directions, or in four directions, etc. In diifusers which direct the air in a plurality of directions, the throw control devices may be installed on only one series of difiuser deflector vanes;

on each series of deflector vanes, or on any intermediate number of series of deflector vanes. It is not necessary to insert deflector vane pairs of our throw control devices on each difiuser deflector vane of a given series in order to obtain modification of the throw of this series of vanes.

' In fact, we prefer, in giving air throw patterns which are shortened and increased in spread, to use throw control devices with vanes pairs between less than all of the diffuser deflector vanes of a given series. The effects on modification of air streams by various placements of the vane pairs of air throw control devices are discussed in detail in the following portions of this specification.

The generic invention herein disclosed will be further explained with reference to specific embodiments'of our invention, which embodiments are illustrated in the drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a bottom plan view of a rectangular air diffuser with which the throw control devices of the present disclosure may be used;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the diffuser of FIG. 1 showing a throw control device mounted on one series of deflector vanes;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional View taken on section 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a throw control device and further illustrating the mounting of said device on a deflector vane of the difiuser, said vane being shown in modification of primary air patterns discharged by a rectangular diflfuser having an equal number of deflector vanes on three sides and a larger number of deflector vanes on the fourthside-the isovels indicating the outline of the primary air patterns in the absence of the throw control devices and also with the throw control devices inserted as illustrated and further wherein the right-hand throw control device has either five or seven deflector vane P r FIGS. 70,712, and 7c are diagrammatic views of isovel patterns of a square difiuser similar to the embodiment of 1-3 with a throw control device as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 placed on one series of four deflector vanes of the difiuser'and utilitizihg a four vane pair throw conm device (FIG. 7a) or a three vane pair throw control FIG. Sis adiagramrn'atic illustration of isovels from anobl'ong diffuser having deflector vanes directing the in two directions and showing isovels in the absence bf the throw'control devices, as welltas isovels resulting from the positioning of the right hand devices in positions A or 7 FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic illustration of isovels from an oblong shaped diffuser having deflector vanes directing the 'air in two'directions and showing isovels in the absence of l thethrow'control device, as well as isovels with the throwcontrol device in positions A or B;

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic illustration of isovels from a square difiuser directing the air in two directions and showing isovels in the absence of the throw control devices, as well as isovels with the two throw control devices positioned as illustrated;

, FIG. 11' is a diagrammatic illustration of a square diffuser having vanes directing the air'iu four directions and showing isovels in the absence of the throwcontrol devices, as well as the isovels with four throw control devices positioned *as illustrated; and

12 is a'diagrammatic illustration of a rectangular difluser having deflector vanes directing the air in only one direction and showing the isovel in the absence of the throw control device, as well as the isovel with the throw control device positioned as illustrated.

' The rectangular difiuser of FIGS. 1-3 ismade up of a series of deflector vanes 1-4 eachhaving four deflecting surfaces for directing the air outwardly in four directions at right angles to each other. Deflector 'vane 4 has a peripheral flange 5. Deflector vane 1 comprises a pair of opposed vanes 7 which have upright, rectangular segments 8. The segments 8 are secured togetheras by spot welding. The vanes 7 have regular trapezoidal'portions 9 which are angularly positioned with respect to segments Sand have a return bend or rolled edge 10.

Thedeflector vane 1 further consists of triangular vane plates 11 'with rolled or return band edges (not shown) disposed at an angle to the normal axis of the diifuser similar to the angle of trapezoidal segments 9. Varies 7 and 11 form the innermost deflector members of the diffuser. They are held together by corner clips 12 by spot-welding of'vanes 9 and 11 near their joining edges to the bases 13 of clips '12, which bases are peaked to conform-to the contour of the corners formed by joining edges of vanes 7 and 11. The corner clips have upstanding side wings 14 with bent tabs :15 'spot welded to the inner side of the upright, rectangular segments 16 of the next adjacent deflector vane 2 hereinafter described. Deflector vanes 2, 3 and 4 are'concentrically mounted about deflector vane 1, and each vane is spaced from the next. adjacent vane to provide air passages therebetween. Deflector vanes 2, 3 and 4 are made up of device in different positions on the series of deflector vanes .of' the diffuser (FIGS. 7b and 7c);

manner as corner clips 12, previously described. If ad ditional bracing between deflector vanes is desired, it may I be done by welding the upper edges of segments 8, 15, 16

and 17 in spaced slots of a bracer bar or bars extending across the rear face of the diifuser and welded at each end to the inner wall of segments '18.

Rectangular segments 18 of the outer. deflector vane 4 extend above the rectangular segments of the vanes 1, 2 and 3. These segments 18 'form a w'alladapted to be telescoped over a'rectangularttake-oif duct of an air distribution system, shown in phantom in FIG. 3 and desigs V nated by numeral 28, or'over an adapter for a circular take-ofi duct.' The telescoped members usually are fastened together by metal screws or the like (not shown). The embodiment of the'throw control device of FIGS.

25 'comprises'a series of pairs of diverging vanes 31), 3'1.

The vane pairs are separated by cut out portions 33, and tabs 32 are left in the cutout step on the rear side of each vanel These tabs are used to clip by frictional contact the throw control device on the upstanding segments 8,

16 and 17 to hold it in position. The tabs 32 are raised slightly with respect to the vanes 30 and 31. The vane pairs 30, 31 are connected by narrow necks 34 at the apex 35 of the throw control device;

In the embodiment shown, the series of vanes are stamped from a piece of sheet metal in any desired number of units, e.g., 12, 18 or 24., The number of vane pairs, e.g., three as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, are cut off the series of'vanes by cutting at a neck 34, If a fractional vane unit is desired at one end, the cut is made across vanes 30 and 3-1.

The vanes 30 and 31 have the shape of the two equal sides of a triangular base, right angular frusto-pyramid.

' The lower or outer edges 36 of vanes 30- and 3 1 are" shapedrelative to apex 35 at an angle coinciding with the angular sloping of the vanes 1, 2 and 3 so. that the .edges 36 rest, or nearly rest, on the upper or rear airdeflecting surfaces of said vanes whenthe throw control device is'm'ounted in the diffuser.

While the tabs 32 provide a convenient means for securing the throw control device(s) on the diifuser, there are many other means wtihin. the scope of our invention which could be substituted therefor, such as spring clips, wedges, screws, and the like. The tab construction, however, is advantageously employed because of the simplicity of construction of units containing said tabs, the

entire unit beingmade in one stamping step,'as well as because the clipping or clamping means (the tabs) are a unitary part of the throw control device and not sep arate components as in the case of screws, wedges, etc? When the throw control device is mounted on the diffuser of FIGS. l-3 in the manner shown, air supplied through duct 28 strikes the rear or upper surface of vanes 1 1,2 and 3. It is deflected outwardly by said vanes'andj flows through channels formed between vanes 1 and 2,

partshavingupright, rectangular segments 16, 17 and 18,

2 and3, and 3 and 4. The primary streams of discharged air flow outwardly in four directions, one on each side of the diffuser. Three of the four air streams are of substantially'equal magnitude while the-air stream i discharged the fourth side, the left-hand side'in the case of-the embodiment of FIG. 2, is diverted into two streams with shorter throw and greater'total spread than: the air stream which is discharged in the absence of saidv throw control device. I r V The various eifects in regulation or control of the throws of various types of diffusers having straight-sided vanes obtained with the throw control devices of our invention will be understood and appreciated further from the diagrammatic illustrations of FIGS. 6l2. The isovels shown in these figures indicate points one inch below the ceiling at which the primary air velocities are 200 feet per minute. These isovels define the main bodies of discharged air. They do not mean that the primary air occupies only the space outlined by the isovel. Actually, each primary air stream consists of air flowing outwardly from diffuser in layers moving at different velocitiesthe primary air streams being in a much wider arc than the illustrated isovels with the air velocity in the illustrated isovels being greater than 200* feet per minute and the air velocity outside the isovels being less than 200 feet per minute. All isovels for a given outlet were ascertained at the same total air flow rate.

FIG. 7 shows, diagrammatically, isovels determined as above-described, with a rectangular ceiling diffuser having an unbalanced discharge pattern due to a greater number of vanes on one side of the diftuser. This type of difluser is used in rooms whose dimensions relative to the dilfuser location can best utilize one long throw and three much shorter throws. This 200 f.p.-m. isovel without throw control devices is shown in solid lines. After placement of a throw control device 41 on the lefthand series of diffuser vanes and throw devices 42 on the top and bottom series of diffuser vanes, a five vane pair and then a seven vane pair throw control device 43 was mounted in the five innermost or seven innermost diffuser channels, respectively. The vane pairs of throw control device 41 are placed in all but the outermost air channel of the left-hand deflector vane series while vane pairs of throw control devices 42 are inserted in all the air channels of the top and bottom deflector vane seriesthe outermost channel having only one-half of a vane pan.

The 200 f.p.m. isovels were ascertained for each primary air stream-the five vane pair isovels shown in dot-long dash lines and the seven vane pair isovels in short dash lines. The right-hand five vane pair isovel is significantly shorter than the solid line isovel and has greater spread. A still shorter and wider isovel of a length of about 0.5-0.6 of the solid line isovel is observed with a maximum spread or width across the divided primary air streams slightly more than the maximum width of the five vane pair isovel. A shortening and spreading of the 200 rpm. isovels by throw control devices 41 and 42 are also observed. The change from a five vane pair throw control device to a seven vane pair throw control device 43 gave a small increase in the isovels of the three other throw control devices 41 and 42. This additional throw from the left-hand, top, and bottom deflector vane series illustrates that increasing resistance on one side by adding more vane pairs forces more air out the other sides. The flange of the diffuser is shown at 44.

In FIGS. 7a, 7b, and 7c, the diffuser 45, illustrated in part, with flange 46 is a square difiuser Similar to the diffuser of FIGS. 13. The vane series has four air channels. These'figures show the efiect upon a primary air stream by vane pairs inserted in all the air channels (FIG. 7a), in all but the outermost channel (FIG. 7b), and in all but the innermost air channel. The isovels of FIGS. 7a-7c are drawn on the same scale and were measured with the same total air flow rate through the diffuser. When vane pairs are added in all air channels on one side of a diffuser as in throw control device 47, two distinct air streams are formed. This air pattern is adopted for channeling most of the main air stream around obstructions.- Where only the outermost channel is left open as with throw control device 48, two main air streams are formed without the distinct void therebetween of FIG. 7a. The isovel patternof FIG. 7b is considered to be the more ideal pattern 'for the standpoint of effectiveness of throw control. With vane pairs in all but the innermost channel as with throw control 6 device 49, the length of throw of the main air stream is decreased only slightly over the throw in the absence of the throw control device and the spread is increased some what as to the high velocity air.

FIGS. 7a-7c illustrate that most effective reduction of length of throw attained when the deflector vane pairs are mounted in the air channels of the diffuser beginning with the innermost air channel of a given deflector vane series and working outwardly. In most cases where reduction of length of throw is desired, we prefer to leave at least the outermost channel open or at least partly open by using only a fractional vane pair for the outermost channel. As will be noted from FIGS. 6-12, reductions of length of throw and increase in spread can be achieved by leaving open more than one of the outermost channels. As a general rule of thumb, the length of throw is decreased by increasing the number deflector vane pairs, beginning with the innermost channel of a given series of deflector vanes. Note, for example, FIG. 6.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show corner diffusers and 55. These diifusers have two deflector vane series for deflecting the air in two directions. They are useful at installations where bi-directional flow is required, e.g., when a diifuser is mounted in a ceiling near or in a corner of a room. In each case, one deflector vane series is longer than the other. These diffusers can be made in a manner like the difluser of FIGS. 1-3.

Diffuser 50, with marginal flange 51, produces 200 f.p.m. isovels, measured as above-described, shown in long dash-dot lines of FIG. 8. With throw control device 52 installed in both instances, the air flow pattern of the diffuser is shown by the solid line isovel A when throw control device 53 is installed in position A and by the short dash isovel when throw control device 54 is installed in position B (throw control device 53 being removed).

The device 53 in position A gives an isovel pattern A with fingers of unequal length whereas the device 54 in position B gives an isovel pattern B with fingers of approximately equal length. The isovel A from throw control device 52 is shifted slightly back with control device 53 in position A as compared with the isovel B.

Diffuser 55 of FIG. 9 produces 200 r".p..m. isovels C and D of different patterns when throw control device 57 is in either position C 'or position D. A slight change in position of device 57 changes the long finger of isovel Cto the short finger of isovel D and the long finger of isovel D to the short finger of isovel C. The isovel of the diffuser 55 without throw control device 57 is shown M in long dash-dot lines.

The difiuser 58 of FIG. 10 is a corner diiiuser with two equal deflector vane series. It has a marginal flange 59. In this instance, throw control devices 68 and 61 are placed on the difluser as illustrated to shorten and spread the two primary air streams-the isovels of which,

without the deflection by vanes of throw control devices 6! and 61, are shown in solid lines. The primary air streams are shortened and spread by tthrow control devices ii and 61 for the purpose of changing the essentially bi-directional flow shown by the solid line isovels to a more uniform flow over the quarter circle into which the air streams are directed.

A like equalization of flow around the periphery of the diffuser is observed in FIG. 11 wherein the diffuser 62 with peripheral flange 63 is a square difluser which emits a primary air stream from each side. By inserting throw control devices 64 on each of the four deflector vane series, with vane pairs in all inner air passages and .one-' 7 fuser, as well as shortening (the throws of the four primary airstreams. I w 7 The diffuser 65 of FIG. 12 with peripheral flange 66 is a uni-directional difluser for ceilings or walls. The throw control device 67, with vane pairs in all but the two outermost'air passages, considerably shortens and widens the isovel produced without control device 67',

shown in a solid line. The isovel of the short dash line indicates that produced by inserting the throw control device 67 as illustrated.

The foregoing description and the illustrations in the drawings areindicative, though by no means exhaustive, of the many modifications and changes in diifuser air flow patterns attainable in uni-directional and multi-directional air difiusers by the use of the throw control devices herein described. These throw control devices can modify the air streams of a standard line of di ifusers to meet special requirements for air flow in any given installation at small cost and with simple installation on the diffusers.

The invention is hereby claimed as followsz 1. An air diffuser having a series of substantially parallel air deflect-or vanes with air deflecting surfaces disposed at an angle with respect to the axis of said diffuser, and a throw control device comprising a series of longitudinally aligned, diverging'connected vane pairs interconnected with the next adjacent vane pairs at the apex of said diverging wane pairs by a narrow neck, clip-on means attaching said throw control device on the axially rearward side of said diffuser with said vane pairs diverging axially forwardly and outwardly between said deflector vanes into approximate contact with said air-deflecting surfaces of said deflector vanes.

2. An air difliuser with a' series of substantially parallel, spaced air deflector vanes with air deflecting surfaces at an angle with respect to the axis of the diffuser, said vanes defining air flow channels therebetween, and a throw control device comprising a series of longitudinally aligned, diverging, connected vane pairs interconnected with the next adjacent vane pairs at the apex of said diverging vane pairs by a narrow neck and mounted on said diifuser with vane pairs in at least some of said channels and diverging outwardly'toward said air deflecting surfaces.

3. An air diffuser with at least two series of substantially 7 parallel, spaced air deflector vanes with air deflecting'surfaces at an angle with respect to the ads of the diffuser, said vanes defining air flow channels therebetween, and a throw control device comprising a series of longitudinally aligned, diverging, connected vane pairs interconnected; with the next adjacent vane pairs at the apex of said diverging vane pairs by a narrow neck and mounted on at least one of said series of deflector vanes with vane pairs in said channels and diverging outwardly toward said air deflecting surfaces. Y

4. An air diffuser with at least one series of spaced,

. substantially parallel, air-deflector vanes with air deflect ing surfaces disposed at an angle-with respect to the axis of said diffuser, each series of deflector vanes adapted to deflect the air flowing in the channels between the spaced-vanes in a laterally outward direction from the diffuser, and a throw control device. mounted on said diffuser comprising a series of longitudinally aligned pairs of vanes positioned in said channels, the vanes of said pairs diverging outwardly toward said air deflecting surfaces, the outwardmost air channel having at most a fractional part of a vane pair.

5. The dilfuserof claim .4 wherein the outwardmost air channel of the series of air deflector vanes into which said vane pairs, extend is free of a vane pair of said throw control device.

6."The-difluser of claim 4 wherein the vane pairs of said throw control device extend into outwardly successive air channels of said dilfuser'beginning with the innermost of said channels, and wherein at least the outermost of said channels is free of vane pairs of said throw control device.

7. Thedifiuser of claim 3 wherein the diffuser has exactiy two series of substantially parallel, flat-sided deflector vanes and the vanes of one series are at right.

tern whereby a primary airstream is discharged by each of the four sides of said diffuser.

9. The diffuser of claim 8 wherein each of the four series of deflector vanes has the throw control device of 7 claim 3 mounted thereon. v a

'10. An air diffuser having a series .of substantially parallel, spaced air deflector vanes, said vanes having spaced, upwardly directed, rear segments and downwardly and outwardly directed, spaced air deflecting. segments defining air flow channels, and a series of interconnected outwardly and downwardly diverging vane pairs extending into at least some of said air flow channels with the lower edges of said vane pairs in approximate or actual contact with the upper surface of the lower deflector vane of the respective channelinto which the respectivevane pairs extend.

11. The difluser of claim 10 wherein said interconnected vane pairs have means frictionally holding said vane pairs on the spaced, upwardly directed, rear segments of said diffuser vanes.

12. The difluser of claim 11 wherein said means is a slot between the interconnected vane pairs with a tab in each slot in frictional contact with said upwardly directed, rear segments. 3

13. A throw control device comprising a series of 10m gitudinally aligned, diverging, connected vane pairs inter-' connected with the next adjacent vane pairs at the apex of said diverging vane pairs by a narrow neck, and means V for attaching said throw control device to an air difluser.

14. A throw control device comprising a series of longitudinally aligned, diverging, connected vane pairs inter-.

connected with the next adjacent vane pairs at the apex of said diverging vane pairs by a narrow neck, each vane 15. A throw control device comprising a series of diverging, connected vane pairs interconnected at the apex of said diverging vane pairs by a narrow neck, said vane pairs being spaced apart by slots between said pairs, and tabs on one of the sides of the diverging vanes,'said tabs extending into said slot substantially toward the next' 1 adjacent vane in said series of vane pairs to provide frictional clips between said vane pairs for attaching said throw control device on an air difluser.

16. The throw control device of claim 15 wherein said vane pairs take the form of the two equal sides of a triangular base, right angular fmstopyramid.

17. A throw control device comprising a series of diverging, connected vane pairs interconnected at the apex of said diverging vane pairs by a narrow neck, each vane of said vane pairs having a sloping, bottom edge of a slope substantially parallel with the bottom edges of the other vanes, said vane pairs being spaced apartby slots between said pairs, and tabs on one of the sides of the diverging vanes, said tabs extending into said slot substantially toward the nextaadjacent vane in said series of vane pairs to provide frictional clips between said vane pairs for attaching said throw control device on main De Muth Feb. 21. 1956' a... .zmw. 

